3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Neptune 4 vs FlashForge Guider 3 Ultra
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Neptune 4 comparisonsMore FlashForge Guider 3 Ultra comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Neptune 4BEDSLINGER | FlashForge Guider 3 UltraINDUSTRIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | FlashForge |
| Class | BEDSLINGER | INDUSTRIAL |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Neptune 4 (spec table "Product Model: Neptune 4")[1] | Flashforge Guider 3 Ultra; the FlashForge spec table gives the machine name as "Guider 3 Ultra"[2] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 27 May 2023 (Shopify publish date)[3] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $219.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $249.00; both the Ribbon-Cable and Type-C printhead variants are the same price[3] | $2,399.00 against a $3,499.00 regular price on flashforge.com, but the listing checked is the refurbished SKU and is marked Sold out (Aug 2026)[2] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Two printhead variants of the same machine are sold under one SKU - "Ribbon-Cable Version" and "Type-C Version" - which use different printhead parts. Within the Neptune 4 family the numbers diverge sharply and get mixed up constantly: Neptune 4 is 225 x 225 x 265 mm with a 110 C bed and 20000 mm/s2; the Plus is 320 x 320 x 385 mm with a 100 C bed and 12000 mm/s2; the Max is 420 x 420 x 480 mm with an 85 C bed and only 8000 mm/s2. The Neptune 4 Pro is a separate model again[3][1][4][5] | Top of the Guider 3 series. Build size depends on which head is used: 330 x 330 x 600 mm with one extruder, 300 x 330 x 600 mm with both. Siblings Guider 3 (300x250x340) and Guider 3 Plus (350x350x600) are both single-extruder. A refurbished SKU exists alongside the new machine, so check which one a price refers to[2][6][7] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Still listed in ELEGOO's US store Neptune section in Aug 2026 alongside the 4 Pro, 4 Plus and 4 Max, but ELEGOO's current development is on the Centauri line[8] | Not documented |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 225 x 225 x 265 mm; the PEI platform itself is 235 x 235 mm[1] | 330 x 330 x 600 mm with a single extruder; 300 x 330 x 600 mm when both extruders are in use[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 475 x 445 x 515 mm. ELEGOO separately publishes a "maximum size for machine activity" of 475 x 550 x 735 mm including rack and tray - the depth to allow for is 550 mm, not 445 mm[1] | 635 x 550 x 1070 mm; packaging 775 x 690 x 1235 mm[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 8.3 kg net, 10.6 kg gross[1] | 70 kg net, 86 kg gross[2] |
| Frame construction & material | CNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame[1] | Enclosed professional chassis; FlashForge describes a lightweight, stable structure for high-speed operation[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure[1] | Closed design with an air filter fitted[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[1] | CoreXY with two extruders, per a third-party buyer's guide. FlashForge's own spec table does not state the kinematics[9][2] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Two lead screws (the Neptune 4 Plus and Max add two tie rods to the same arrangement)[10] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)" is all ELEGOO publishes; no driver part number is given[10] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); the Neptune 4 Plus page for the same family states a recommended 250 mm/s[1][4] | 10-500 mm/s printing speed, 500 mm/s maximum travel speed (manufacturer figures)[2] |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 250 mm/s recommended printing speed against the 500 mm/s ceiling (ELEGOO's own figure)[10] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim) - notably higher than the Plus at 12000 and the Max at 8000, because the moving mass is smaller[1][4][5] | 20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping | ||
| Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary) | Not documented | Active vibration compensation, which FlashForge says was enhanced for this model. Implementation not named[2] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans[10] | Two extruders[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, with a copper and titanium-alloy heat break - the Plus and Max use a titanium-alloy heat break only[10] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1] | 350 °C maximum extruder temperature (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | Not documented | 0.4 mm default; 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[2] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 C max heated bed temperature[1] | 120 °C bed setting supported (manufacturer figure)[2] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | PEI spring steel sheet, now upgraded by ELEGOO to a dual-sided textured PEI + PLA-specific surface[10] | Replaceable flexible steel-plate platform, magnetic. No glass bed[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Manual levelling combined with 121-point auto-levelling; no full-auto calibration on this model[10] | Full-auto one-click levelling; probe technology not named[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament detection fitted; power-loss resume printing supported[1] | Filament run-out reminder[2] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Not documented | Air filter fitted; filter media not specified in the FlashForge table[2] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | ELEGOO describes it only as a "Klipper High-Speed Quiet Motherboard" - no board model or MCU published[10] | Not documented |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 115/230 V, 50/60 Hz on the product page; ELEGOO's compare page gives 110-120 / 220-240 VAC 50/60 Hz[1][10] | AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz[2] |
| Total rated power draw | 310 W rated power, 24 V output[10] | 850 W maximum[2] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Klipper (ELEGOO names the system "Klipper" outright for the Neptune 4 series, rather than the ELEGOO OS branding used on the Centauri machines)[10][11] | Not named; slicers are Orca-Flashforge and FlashPrint 5, with OrcaSlicer listed as compatible[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[10] | 7-inch touch LCD[2] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer recommended, with Orca and Cura also supported[10] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | LAN and USB file transfer; no Wi-Fi is listed for the base Neptune 4, unlike the Plus (USB/LAN/Wi-Fi) and Max (Wi-Fi/USB/WLAN)[1][4][5] | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, plus cloud[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | Remote camera monitoring and time-lapse video supported; resolution not published[2] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Not documented | Power-loss recovery supported; mechanism not published. Automatic shutdown also supported[2] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon[1] | PLA, ABS, HIPS, ASA, PETG, CoPA, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PAHT-CF, PAHT-GF, PET-CF, PET-GF, PA12-CF, PA-CF, PA-GF, NexPA-CF25[2] |
| Safety | ||
| Certifications (UL/ETL/CE/FCC — verify, don't assume) | Not documented | CE, FCC, RoHS (as printed in FlashForge's own spec table)[2] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Operating sound published as 60 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated, so it is not comparable with an independently measured reading[10] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 12 months on brand-new machines and parts, but ELEGOO's own table excludes a long list of parts from that: PEI plate / build plate / nozzle kit / PTFE tube / heater / thermistor / hot end / packaging / manual / tools carry no warranty at all, and the extruder, extruder kit and printhead kit get 6 months. Certified pre-owned machines carry no warranty[12] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Guider 3 Ultra product page (refurbished listing) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- FlashForge Guider 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- FlashForge Guider 3 Plus technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- ELEGOO compare-products page, which embeds the full per-model specification JSON for every Neptune, Centauri and OrangeStorm machine us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor